After 180 minutes of football across West Yorkshire and Devon failed to separate Leeds United and Plymouth Argyle, Daniel Farke finally turned to Crysencio Summerville in injury time and the Dutchman proved to be the difference as Leeds scored three goals in extra time to progress to the Fifth Round of the FA Cup, where a trip to either Aston Villa or Chelsea awaits.
Summerville cut in from the left flank before arrowing a superb right-footed finish in the 97th minute for his 13th goal of the season and with nine minutes to go, the 22-year-old teed up another substitute in Georginio Rutter, who doubled Leeds’ advantage before Ilia Gruev’s corner took a touch off Ryan Hardie and ended up in the net to ensure a first defeat at Plymouth for Ian Foster.
‘In the end, the scoreline was quite sobering for us, in terms of their ruthlessness but we know how well we played over the two games,’ said Foster.
‘Today was nearly a perfect away performance. We dominated, hit the woodwork three times, created so many chances and we showed great heart to win the game,’ said Leeds boss Farke, as his side continued their unbeaten 2024.
Crysencio Summerville put Leeds ahead in extra-time on a rain-lashed night at Home Park on Tuesday night
Wilfried Gnonto (right) scored Leeds’ opener from a pin-pointed strike at the top of the area
The sodden clash saw both sides head into the dressing rooms at half-time goalless
Both sides went into the game without tasting defeat in the calendar year and with a place in the last 16 on the line, it was all square for just over an hour before Wilfried Gnonto finished wonderfully to give Leeds a much-deserved lead, only for Brendan Galloway to equalise with 12 minutes of normal time remaining to send the contest into extra time.
This was a game that both of these Championship sides could have done without after a 1-1 draw at Elland Road but it was a full house at a wet and windy Home Park.
Almost 2,000 Leeds supporters made the 600-mile plus round trip down to the south coast and the visitors dominated possession and came closest in the first half, hitting the bar twice in the opening 20 minutes through Mateo Joseph and Joel Piroe.
Leeds shifted up a gear after the break and 66 minutes in, the breakthrough came after they won the ball back in the Plymouth half and moved the ball wonderfully before Glen Kamara drilled the ball into the path of Gnonto, who took one touch with his left foot before smashing it into the back of net with his right foot.
Both Kamara and Gnonto were taken off five minutes later as Leeds looked to see out the game, only for Plymouth to hit back with a well-worked set-piece.
Morgan Whittaker looped a diagonal free kick over to Ashley Phillips on the right-hand side of the six-yard box and Phillips squared for Galloway to chest home from a few yards out.
Farke threw on Patrick Bamford and Rutter in a bid to get a winner before extra time and both sides nearly won it in injury time as Joe Gelhardt’s strike hit the post and seconds later, Hardie’s strike was pushed behind for a corner by Illan Meslier.
Just over ten minutes before time, Plymouth bit back courtesy of Brendan Galloway (right)
But Georginio Rutter was the second super-substitute to help Leeds break through on the road
After netting his first goal (pictured) Summerville assisted Georginio’s to put Leeds out of sight
Daniel Farke’s side will face either Chelsea or Aston Villa as their unbeaten 2024 continues
In the third minute of added time, Farke turned to Summerville and in the 97th minute, he provided the moment of class to put Leeds ahead. Minutes later, he turned provider for Rutter in front of the travelling support and a late own goal from Hardie added the icing onto the cake to cue chants of ‘Wembley’ from the away end.
Not since 2003 have they made the FA Cup quarter-finals and now they stand 90 minutes away from the last eight.
